draco529

Hello all,

I've got a 90 5.0 vert. About seven or eight years back I put Eibach springs and KYB adjustable gas shocks on the front and back. The car gets very little use, I've gone maybe 15K miles in the last 8 years. Recently I've noticed the front end seemed loose and the front passenger side seemed to wobble a bit. I've taken the wheel off and checked around to see an obvious issue and dont see anything. But here is my main issue I am concerned with. When I push on the outside of the front tire, pushing at the 12 o'clock on the tire, I can see the top of the front shocks move and wobble around. For example when i push on the front passenger side tire, I can see the bolt that sticks up from the shock tower into the engine bay, wobble, not only on the passenger side, but also on the driver side. Again, when I push the passenger side tire, I can see both bolts wobble through the top of the shock tower. My suspicion is maybe bad bushings on the shock, especially the upper ones, but I thought I would reach out to see if anyone else has seen this problem.

Thank you.

Norm Peterson

Bad strut mounts. I'm guessing that the originals were re-installed when the lowering springs and KYB's went on. OE strut mounts typically aren't very durable in lowered applications, and it appears that yours are over 25 years old as well.


Norm

draco529

Thanks Norm, I am starting to think you are right. I've replaced the front sway bar bushings and the endlinks. While one of the end links was pretty bent, it didn't seem to fix it. I think 25 years in the phoenix heat, has beaten up all the rubber components. And I do think those mounts are original. Also are the struts our shocks? I thought the struts when inside the coils. my springs are separate, are those shocks? Or are the terms basically the same thing and interchangeable?

Norm Peterson

Struts are the same as shocks . . . and different as well.

They are the same in that they both provide hydraulic resistance to spring/suspension movement. That's what controls your car's ride and handling.

Struts differ in that they are also an integral part of the suspension itself. If you think of them as being a long extension of the knuckle (what most people want to call a "spindle"), you'll be on the right track. The piston rod sticking out the top is much larger diameter than for a shock because the strut's piston rod has to carry cornering and braking loads (that try to bend it) just like the knuckle has to.

I haven't mentioned whether the springs are concentric being any kind of "strut" definition for a reason. They don't have to be. Cars with struts having the coil spring completely separate and seated about midway out the lower control arm have been produced - sometimes called a "modified MacPherson strut". I'm a little more familiar with this modified MacStrut on the 3rd gen F-body cars.


Given your car's age, you'd probably be better off with these caster-camber plates than another set of OE strut mounts that still won't like the car being lowered, and discarding any "camber bolts" that might currently be installed in favor of full-strength OE strut to knuckle fasteners. Don't be afraid to give them a call if you've got detail questions about their product.


Norm

draco529

Thank you for that information, that was very helpful.